USS Cyclops (Wrack) - North Carolina
Okay, so you’re looking for a wreck that really tells a story, and the USS Cyclops delivers. This isn't just a hunk of metal on the seabed, it’s a genuine mystery, gone without a trace in 1918 with over 300 souls. The sheer scale of the unknown here adds a certain thrill to the dive. We love that feeling of dropping down, knowing you’re exploring something historically significant, something very few people ever get to see. It’s a deep dive, often in challenging conditions with currents and surge. Visibility can be hit or miss, but on a good day, when that sun breaks through and illuminates the skeletal remains, it’s magic. You’ll find sand tiger sharks patrolling the deeper sections, and we often spot large schools of jacks swirling around the more intact structures. Our favourite moment is finning past the twisted metal, imagining the enormity of the ship, and seeing the resident filefish darting amongst the coral growth. This dive is definitely for experienced wreck divers who appreciate history and aren't afraid of a bit of a challenge. Bring your best navigation skills and a good dive computer.
- Location
- North Carolina, United States, North America
- Coordinates
- 37.435000, -74.701935
- Type
- wreck
Nearby Dive Sites in North Carolina
- 184 menhaden vessel CAPT GREG MICKEY AR-400 (wreck)
- Aeolus (Wreck) - 31m (wreck)
- AR-220 - Buoy - 20-35m (wreck)
- AR-225 - Buoy
- AR-255 - Buoy
- AR-302 - 459 Assault Transport Ship YANCEY (wreck)
- AR-366 - Buoy
- AR-368 - 10 Railroad boxcars (wreck)
- AR-368 - 241 barge LC-16 (wreck)
- AR-368 - Buoy
- AR-372 - 10 Railroad boxcars - 15-30m (wreck)
- AR-372 - 2 220 barge (wreck)
- AR-376 - 10 Railroad boxcars - 15-30m (wreck)
- AR-376 - Buoy
- Atlantic Beach Reef AR-315 - 104 US Navy tug TAKOS (reef)
Nearest Dive Centres to USS Cyclops (Wrack)
- All About Diving
- Aquatic Safaris - ["PADI"]
- Bay Breeze Dive Center
- Broadreach Adventures LLC - ["PADI"]
- Bubbles or Not Scuba
- Carolina Dive Center - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in North Carolina
Home to 42 recorded species including 38 reef fish, 2 clams & mussels, 2 other.
Notable Species
- Mottled Sculpin (Cottus bairdii) - Reef Fish
- Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) - Reef Fish
- Sea Trout (Salmo trutta) - Reef Fish
- American Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) - Reef Fish
- brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) - Reef Fish
- asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) - Clams & Mussels
- Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) - Reef Fish
- Longnose gar (Lepisosteus osseus)
- Skipjack Herring (Alosa chrysochloris) - Reef Fish
- White Sucker (Catostomus commersonii) - Reef Fish
- Threadfin Shad (Dorosoma petenense) - Reef Fish
- Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) - Reef Fish
- Golden Shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) - Reef Fish
- Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis) - Reef Fish
- Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis) - Reef Fish
- Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) - Reef Fish
- Eastern Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) - Reef Fish
- Fringed Flounder (Etropus crossotus) - Reef Fish
- Black Sea Bass (Centropristis striata) - Reef Fish
- Wandering Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) - Clams & Mussels